I sincerely hope that everyone here has a Mom they can celebrate. And to the moms here, Happy Mothers’ Day. The most frightening, disgusting, satisfying, empowering, and powerful job on the planet, shaping the next generation. Teach your children well.
n
Teach the children well ( with lyrics) – Crosby Stills
And we’re well on our way to 100F here at casa nick, currently 90F and 62%RH. Feels like is already 99….
Sunny and hot, with lots of humidity.
Successful breakfast for ‘mommy’ which involved both of us (as did becoming a mom 😉 ) and the kids cleaned the kitchen. Win win!
n
Prepper fail- do not store colman fuel cans on their sides. Upright they will literally last for decades. On the side, well, I don’t think I put those cans away mostly empty last year.
n
I had a complete failure of a 1 gallon Coleman Fuel can. However, it was my fault. I sealed it up tightly after removing some for camp stove and lantern (going camping up in the High Sierras). Sealed during warmth of day and left outdoors. The daily contracting at night and expanding in the daytime finally led to a fracture of the can partway up.
I would recommend sealing, or tightening the cap, at the coldest part of the day and not storing it outdoors where it sees the open sky.
CowboySlim, your thermodynamicist who only made this one mistake in the last decade.
Taking a cool down break from powerwashing the house and surrounding stuff.
To the man with a power washer, everything looks grubby.
n
@nick
How do you power wash your house? What material is your siding?
Ours is 1968 aluminum siding. I’d like to power wash it but am concerned about changing the color by over washing / underwashing, or hitting spots that have been unevenly oxidized.
Our neighbor power washed his and it looked awful (splotchy coloring) and he was forced to paint the aluminum. Now he has to repaint every 5-10 years or it looks terrible.
WRT power-washing: A Pro taught me to power-wash from the bottom up. If you start at the top you will get streaks that will not go away. Also be mindful of your pressure. Common mistake is too much pressure.
I have continuous all STEEL siding (about 20-years old). I do not use a power-washer now. I use a long-handled car-wash nozzle and a long-handled soft brush, regularly dunked in water to keep it wet. I have used various brands (brand names, no no-names) of car-wash soaps, none has been a standout. I wait until mid summer when our water supply shifts from the river to reservoir so the water is about 58-degrees instead of 40-degrees. I also do a side when it is in shade. I dry using a leaf blower.
I have vinyl siding over original shake shingle, and 52% brick by area…. (mandated by HOA.)
The vinyl has tiny grooves that catch dust, and mold stains it, and on the north sides, green mildew grows. I had a guy who would come by once a year and wash the whole house for $300. That is a bargain, I’ve decided. It does come up a treat, as our british cousins would say. I don’t use any soap or chemicals, just water. The brick gets a gentle blasting for the lower 2 ft of the wall where mildew grows.
Power washing is very satisfying. I ended up doing part of the driveway and all of the front walk. Also the mailbox and its post. I washed the inside and outside of the Portacool I’m rehabbing and it looks like brand new. I blasted all the teak furniture (get the oxidation off, and last year’s treatment) and the wooden porch swing too. My wife applied a colored Thompsons Water Seal. Looks great. Has to be reapplied every 6 months at least to stay nice. It’s easy to wipe on after the chairs and table dry. I used something else last year with more pigment in it, but can’t find it this year. Maybe I used it up.
I don’t worry about any discoloration because it still would look better than the dirt and green mildew.
Hard work though.
n
Thank you gentlemen- I am inspired…
You’re welcome @Jenny.
Sometimes this grumpy highly opinionated ol’ codger can come up with something of use.
Spent most of this weekend fixing my Son’s computer and setting up a new Moto G5 Plus for my Daughter as the battery in her Moto X Pure became wacky. Costco had a good deal on the phone and it has a lot of features for less than $180.00. She is happy and glad she doesn’t have a $1000.00 iPhone like one of her co-workers just bought for their 13-year old who promptly dropped it at school and shattered the screen into a gillion pieces. Did the co-worker buy Apple Care or any other insurance? No. Darwin rules.
No no no. Haven’t you learned anything from watching politicians, celebrities, and others who’ve been caught at something? It’s never your fault. It’s a legacy of colonialism, sexism, or the devil. Case at hand, I suggest blaming global warming.
Well the beef roast turned out perfect. The older daughter actually ate and liked a roasted potato, and mom was happy.
So a good day.
n
I’m gonna take a hot shower, and go to bed.
@dadcooks, the leaf blower as dryer is inspired!
n
Spent most of this weekend fixing my Son’s computer and setting up a new Moto G5 Plus for my Daughter as the battery in her Moto X Pure became wacky
We bought my son a Moto G5 Plus after his Nexus 5X went Tango Uniform about a month ago. The Moto is an almost 1:1 match for specs with the 5X.
I have a Moto E4 that alternates with an iPhone SE as my personal phone. The quality/price ratio on that is event more impressive.
Moto to avoid — the G4 Play. I have one that is my current “science experiment” phone running LineageOS with all open source apps. The GPS and WiFi antenna connectors are terrible. Fry’s and many other places still have these around, however, despite the ancient design and slow GPS.
Thanks @Nick. I am always trying to find additional uses for things. I hate uni-taskers. A challenge to the MacGyver in me. As well as lessons learned from my Maternal Grandfather and my Dad. I can tell that you, and most of the folks on this forum, are the same way. Survivors lending a hand.